Rock hard and laugh out loud

with best band to emerge from the Sunset Strip in the past 20 years: Steel Panther

Though 1987 seems like half a lifetime away, listening to the music of the era—specifically, “hair bands” like Motley Crue, Poison, Ratt and Dokken—can take you back in an instant. But for those who think that the glory of ‘80s hard rock and metal is saved only for the nostalgia of those classic albums, then it’s time to get familiar with one of the hardest rocking, most ass-kicking, balls-to-the-wall bands to emerge from the Sunset Strip in the past 20 years: Steel Panther.

“Our whole mission is to bring metal back with a modern vibe,” says Satchel, the band’s guitarist and main songwriter. “We won’t lose the flavor of the ‘80s bands we dig, but instead we make it even more flavorful and more fun. We have even bigger choruses and bigger hooks [than those bands], and we’re even more direct with the subject matter. And there’s always a chorus you can sing along to and laugh with at the same time.”

That big, sing-along chorus and utterly hilarious lyrics—all staples of the quartet—are on full display with their newest singles, "Pussywhipped" and “Party Like Tomorrow is the End of the World,” from Steel Panther’s forthcoming full-length disc All You Can Eat. [DJs: Check out "Pussywhipped" for FREE by clicking here: http://stripjointsmusic.com/steel-panther/] With previous song titles like “It Won’t Suck Itself,” “Stripper Girl,” “Fat Girl (Thar She Blows)” and “Death to All But Metal,” it’s clear that humor plays a big role in the band’s indentity. After all, their last two albums, 2009’s Feel the Steel and 2011’s Balls Out, both landed at number one—on the Billboard Comedy chart.

“We’ve created something where people don’t know how to classify us,” says Satchel. “We’ve been number one on the comedy charts, but we’re also a great live rock band. We’ve been playing together for a long time, decades, and we’ve worked hard to get this good. Are we a rock band? A comedy act? Either way, we are entertaining! Are we not ‘real’ just because the lyrics are over the top? We’re more ‘real’ than most bands will ever be. And we always put the song first.”

Steel Panther grew out of their previous incarnation as Metal Shop (later, Metal Skool), who gained popularity as the best “tribute” band in the country via their legendary gigs in Southern California cranking out classic tunes from the ‘80’s best bands. But after years of playing somene else’s music, Satchel and crew— including vocalist Michael Starr, drummer Stix Zadinia and bassist Lexxi Foxxx—decided to write their own tunes that fit very well within their set of ‘80s covers.

“Of course, there might be someone in the audience who’d still rather hear ‘Cherry Pie’ than our song about Asian hookers,” says Satchel. “But it’s now evolved to the point where, when we play in the U.K., they only want our originals; they don’t even want to hear covers.”

And of all the “stripper-friendly” bands that existed in the ‘80s, few would rival the outright love that Satchel and crew have for dancers and for the industry at large. For proof, check out the new video for “Party,” which features several entertainers including ED’s 2013 Entertainer of the Year nominee, Lacey Rain.

“I’m totally excited that this song is going to be on the (StripJoints) disc,” says Satchel. “We’re always at strip clubs, so there’s a really good chance that if you play that track we might just be walking through your doors. And trust me, if it is playing when we’re there, we’re all going to have a really, really good time—and we’ll be spending a lot of cash.”